Curious things to do in Dublin
Dublin’s a city of stories – some sung in traditional music sessions, some recounted in snugs while sipping locally d istilled whiskeys, some told on the cobblestones of historic city corners and some waiting to be read in old beloved bookshops. Seek out the lesser-known in Dublin and delve into the different stories behind Ireland’s capital.
1. The Cobblestone
If you like Temple Bar, you’ll love a trad session at The Cobblestone.
Tourists in search of proper pints and craic tend to beeline for Temple Bar, but those in the know also stop in at The Cobblestone. Loved by locals for its ‘trad sessions’, this little drinking hole on Smithfield Square calls itself ‘a drinking pub with a music problem’. It’s a small space usually filled to the brim with the sound of uilleann pipes, fiddles and calls of “slainte”. Find yourself a stool or stand among the crowd toasting to jigs and reels. You might even hear sean-nos: a traditional and entrancing form of unaccompanied singing.
Top Tip: Guests are expected to be quiet when musicians are playing. If you want to chat, pop to the other end of the bar.
2. Sweny’s Pharmacy
If you like the Museum of Literature Ireland, you’ll love Sweny’s.
Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce… Dublin’s no stranger to literary marvels. Once you’ve seen the Book of Kells at Trinity College and scoured for signed editions of classics in Ulysses Rare Books, pore over rows of new and second-hand novels at Sweny’s Pharmacy. This is the very pharmacy James Joyce visited in 1904 and later described in his epic Ulysses. Today you’ll find paperbacks rather than elixirs lining the mahogany shelves, but you can still spot bottles and jars lurking in jam-packed cabinets beneath vintage Victorian signs.
Top Tip: Buy a wrapped bar of lemon soap from Sweny’s just like Joyce’s main character does at the start of Ulysses.
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3. Roe & Co Distillery
If you like the Guinness Storehouse, you’ll love Roe & Co Distillery.
Locally made creamy stouts and butterscotch-coloured whiskeys grace bars and pub snugs all over Dublin. Meet new kids on the block Roe & Coe: modern whiskey makers based in the former Guinness power station. Named to honour 19th Century trailblazer George Roe, this trendy distillery in Liberties offers intimate tour experiences and tastings. Join a cocktail workshop or blend your own whiskey before sitting at the bar to sip creations made with maple-syrupy single malt, zesty single grain or softly spiced blended Irish whiskey.
Top Tip: There are two tours: choose ‘Flavours Experience’ if you love a cocktail or opt for ‘Beyond the Blend’ if you take your whiskey neat.
4. Marsh’s Library
If you like Trinity College, you’ll love Marsh’s Library.
Ireland’s oldest public library – where the likes of Bram Stoker have let their minds wander – sits right next to St Patrick’s Cathedral. Inside this 18th Century stunner, you’ll be surrounded by the scent of leather and oak as you peer into ‘reading cages’ and browse books that have sat on the same shelves since the library opened in the early 1700s – some now bearing bullet holes. Gawk at exhibition marvels like the oldest printed books in the world and ask librarians to recount tales of the resident archbishop ghost.
Top Tip: Take time to linger in the little hidden garden.
5. Howth
If you like Dublin’s green spaces, you’ll love Howth.
If you’ve already followed the twitter of birdsong to the walled gardens at Phoenix Park and listened to waterfall trickles at Iveagh Gardens, head outside of Dublin’s city centre to hear the sea sway: dose up on plenty of peace, quiet and fresh breeze in Howth. This fish-and-chips-loving village sprinkled with sandy beaches and clifftop wildflowers is perfect for pottering around. Walk along the pier and stop at Howth Market or dine in a restaurant with a water view. Take the Cliff Path Loop to stare out at the lighthouse, the sea clashing with the cliffs and the uninhabited island of Ireland’s Eye in the distance.
Top Tip: It’s easy to get to Howth from Dublin’s city centre if you take the DART. Alternatively, hire a car (https://www.britishairways.com/content/holidays/holiday-types/fly-drive-holidays) and drive there as part of an Ireland road trip (https://www.britishairways.com/content/holidays/ireland/road-trip).
6. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
If you like The Little Museum of Dublin, you’ll love EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.
Some of Dublin’s best museums focus on the city’s people. That’s what makes The Little Museum of Dublin so significant: you’re not just looking at U2 CDs and tram tickets, you’re looking at pieces of locals’ lives and snapshots of societies at certain points in Irish history. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum also tells intriguing stories of individuals. Interactive exhibits focus on Irish emigrants who left the isle and impacted other areas of the world. Find out why those people left, what they did and how their legacies live on.
Top Tip: If you have Irish ancestry, learn more about your background at the Irish Family History Centre (IFHC) where you can access records and talk to a genealogist .
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